Wireless autonomous agent platform

ABSTRACT

A plurality of tape agents includes an autonomous master wireless tape agent. The autonomous wireless tape agent includes a first wireless communications interface type operative to communicate over a wireless communications link with an associated secondary wireless agent. The autonomous master wireless tape agent corresponds to a child node in a wireless agent hierarchy. The secondary wireless agent includes a second wireless communications interface type that has a longer wireless communications range than a wireless communications range of the first wireless communications interface type. The secondary wireless agent corresponds to a parent node in the wireless agent hierarchy. The master wireless tape agent governs the wireless communications link and traffic between the master wireless tape agent and the secondary wireless agent. The master wireless tape agent is operative to schedule a designated time slot for each secondary wireless agent transmission. The secondary wireless agent is operative to synchronize its transmit and receive timing with that of the master wireless tape agent and respond to requests received from the master wireless tape agent.

The present disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/900,377, filed on Sep. 13, 2019, which isincorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure generally relates in part to wireless autonomous agentplatforms for asset management.

BACKGROUND

Wireless node networks traditionally are implemented as centralized ortree-based network topologies in which a small set of nodes are directlylinked to each other hierarchically, such as star and tree topologies.Star and tree topologies are non-linear data structures that organizeobjects hierarchically. These topologies consist of a collection ofnodes that are connected by edges, where each node contains a value ordata, and each node may or may not have a child node. Oftentimes, thenodes of a wireless sensor network are organized hierarchicallyaccording to the roles and attributes of the nodes (e.g., communicationsrange, battery life, processor clock rate, etc.), where the nodes mayinclude sensors deployed in the field. For example, the nodes of awireless sensor network may be organized as a hierarchical treestructure with one or more short range, low power child nodes populatingthe bottom level of the tree structure, and a high power master node ata higher level of the tree structure to manage the child nodes.

SUMMARY

In an aspect, the present disclosure includes a wireless autonomousagent platform that enables low-cost wireless network installations. Inparticular, by configuring low power child agents in a tree structure asmaster agents with unilateral control over higher power agents, thehigher power agents can realize a substantial savings in battery life.In contrast, higher power parent agents are conventionally deployed asmaster agents that have unilateral control over child agents. In thisrole, the master agents are frequently operating in a packet scan modelistening for transmissions from a plurality of low power child agents.The scan mode of operation draws power from batteries in the masteragents at a much faster rate than an advertising or broadcasting mode ofoperation. In addition, many use models typically involve checking inwith the child agents (e.g., to verify that they are located onpremises). This can lead to network congestion and increased latency asthe number of child nodes increases.

In some embodiments, the wireless autonomous agent platform includeswireless tape agents. A wireless tape agent (also referred to herein asa “tape node”) may include wireless communication devices that have aflexible adhesive tape form factor. Each wireless tape agent may includeone or more wireless communication interface and associatedcommunication components (e.g., antennas). Some wireless tape agents mayinclude wireless communication interfaces of different types that areconfigured for wireless communication over different distances.Different wireless tape agents may be configured with different wirelesscommunication interfaces and components based on differentfunctionalities and roles assigned to each wireless tape agent.According to some embodiments, a wireless tape agent may include otherdevices or wireless agents than those having the flexible adhesive tapeform factor.

In an embodiment, a plurality of tape agents comprises an autonomousmaster wireless tape agent and a secondary agent. The autonomous masterwireless tape agent corresponds to a child node in a hierarchy andcomprises a processor, a memory, a power source, and a first wirelesscommunications interface type operative to communicate over a wirelesscommunications link with an associated secondary wireless agentcorresponding to a parent node in the hierarchy. The master wirelesstape agent governs the wireless communications link and traffic betweenthe master wireless tape agent and the secondary wireless agent. Themaster wireless tape agent is operative to schedule a designated timeslot for each secondary wireless agent transmission. The secondarywireless agent corresponds to a parent node in the hierarchy thatcomprises the first wireless communications interface type, a secondwireless communications interface type that has a longer wirelesscommunications range than the first wireless communications interfacetype, a processor, a memory, and a power source. The secondary wirelessagent is operative to synchronize its transmit and receive timing withthat of the master wireless tape agent and respond to requests receivedfrom the master wireless tape agent.

In embodiments, the plurality of tape agents further comprises atertiary wireless agent corresponding to a parent node in the hierarchy.The tertiary wireless agent comprises a processor, a memory, a powersource, the first wireless communications interface type, the secondwireless communications interface type, and a third wirelesscommunications interface type that has a longer wireless communicationsrange than the second wireless communications interface type. Thetertiary wireless agent is associated with the master wireless tapeagent and the secondary wireless agent.

In embodiments, the master wireless tape agent has unilateral controlover the secondary and tertiary wireless agents. In some embodiments,each of the secondary and tertiary wireless agents include one or morewireless communication interfaces that are backward compatible with thewireless communication interface of the master wireless tape agent.

In embodiments, the autonomous master wireless tape agent may beassociated with an asset (e.g., a package, a piece of equipment, a tool,etc.). The master wireless tape agent may comprise one or more sensorsthat are operative to generate one or more respective data sets bysensing one or more environmental stimuli. The master wireless tapeagent is operative to transmit the one or more data sets to theassociated secondary wireless agent to compute one or more statisticsfrom the one or more data sets. The associated secondary wireless agentis operative to derive one or more analytics based on the computedstatistics in accordance with one or more machine learning algorithmsfor anomaly detection or condition monitoring. The master wireless tapeagent is operative to retrieve the one or more analytics from the one ormore associated secondary wireless agents.

In embodiments, the master wireless tape agent is operative to: transmitto one or more other agents a request for a resource of a particulartype required to complete a task; receive a reply message from at leastone of the one or more other agents that can provide the requestedresource; select one of the at least one other agents to perform thetask using the resource; and receive a confirmation from the selectedother agent.

In embodiments, the master wireless tape agent is operative to establisha wireless communications link with the secondary wireless agent and, inresponse to the establishment of the wireless communications link, thesecondary agent is operative to expose one or more services that areavailable from the designated secondary wireless agent.

In embodiments, the confirmation message comprises an indication thatthe task has been completed. Each secondary wireless agent is operativeto begin a transmission in a time slot explicitly reserved for thesecondary wireless agent.

In embodiments, the secondary wireless agent is operative to begin atransmission in a time slot immediately following a time slot in whichthe secondary wireless agent was addressed by the master wireless tapeagent.

In embodiments, one or more of the associated secondary wireless agentsare wireless tape agents affixed to one or more respective assets.

In embodiments, one or more of the associated secondary wireless agentsare wireless tape agents affixed to infrastructure of physical premises.

In embodiments, one or more of the associated secondary wireless agentsare electrically pluggable into a socket of an electric power supply.

In another embodiment, a method comprises: by the wireless tape agent,transmitting to one or more other agents a request for a resource of aparticular type required to complete a task; receiving, by the wirelesstape agent, a reply message from at least one of the one or more otheragents that can provide the requested resource; selecting, by thewireless tape agent, one of the at least one other agents to perform thetask using the resource; and receiving, by the wireless tape agent, aconfirmation from the selected other agent.

In embodiments, the receiving comprises receiving, by the wireless tapeagent, an indication that the task has been completed.

The present disclosure includes methods, apparatus operable to implementthe methods described herein, and computer-readable media storingcomputer-readable instructions causing a computer to implement themethods described herein.

Other features, aspects, objects, and advantages of the subject matterdescribed in this specification will become apparent from thedescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example wireless transducer circuit,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic top view of a length of an example autonomousagent platform containing an embedded wireless transducing circuit,according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 3A-3C show diagrammatic cross-sectional side views of portions ofdifferent respective autonomous agent tape platforms, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 4A is a diagrammatic view of an asset that has been sealed forshipment using a segment of an example tracking adhesive productdispensed from a roll, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4B is a diagrammatic top view of a portion of the segment of theexample tracking adhesive product shown in FIG. 4A, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 5 is a table of attributes of three different types of tape agents,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 a diagrammatic view of a master agent communicating with asecondary agent and a tertiary agent, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method of sharing resources betweenwireless tape agents, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of a memory component of a wireless node,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example system environment for a wirelesstape agent system, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example computer apparatus, accordingto some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is not limited in any way to the illustratedembodiments. Instead, the illustrated embodiments described below aremerely examples. Therefore, the structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting the claims. Thedisclosure merely provides bases for the claims and representativeexamples that enable one skilled in the art to make and use.Furthermore, the terms and phrases used herein are intended to provide acomprehensible description without being limiting.

In the following description, like reference numbers are used toidentify like elements. Furthermore, the drawings are intended toillustrate major features of exemplary embodiments in a diagrammaticmanner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of actualembodiments nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements and are notdrawn to scale.

The term “tape node” refers to an adhesive tape platform or a segmentthereof that is equipped with a sensor, processor, memory, energysource/harvesting mechanism, and wireless communications functionality,where the adhesive product has a variety of different form factors,including a multilayer roll or a sheet that includes a plurality ofdivisible adhesive segments. Once deployed, each tape node can function,for example, as an adhesive tape, label, sticker, decal, or the like,and as a wireless communications device.

As used herein, the term “or” refers an inclusive “or” rather than anexclusive “or.” In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in thespecification and claims mean “one or more” unless specified otherwiseor clear from the context to refer the singular form.

The terms “module,” “manager,” and “unit” refer to hardware, software,or firmware, or a combination thereof.

In certain contexts, the terms “parcel,” “envelope,” “box,” “package,”“container,” “pallet,” “carton,” “wrapping,” and the like are usedinterchangeably herein to refer to a packaged item or items.

Exemplary Embodiments

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the components of an example wirelesstransducing circuit 10 that includes one or more communication systems12, 14, according to some embodiments. Example communication systems 12,14 include a GPS system that includes a GPS receiver circuit 13 (e.g., areceiver integrated circuit) and a GPS antenna 15, and one or morewireless communication systems each of which includes a respectivetransceiver circuit 16 (e.g., a transceiver integrated circuit) and arespective antenna 18. Example wireless communication systems include acellular communication system (e.g., GSM/GPRS), a Wi-Fi communicationsystem, an RF communication system (e.g., LoRa), a Bluetoothcommunication system (e.g., a Bluetooth Low Energy system), a Z-wavecommunication system, and a ZigBee communication system. The wirelesstransducing circuit 10 also includes a processor 20 (e.g., amicrocontroller or microprocessor), one or more energy storage devices22 (e.g., non-rechargeable or rechargeable printed flexible battery,conventional single or multiple cell battery, and/or a super capacitoror charge pump), one or more transducers 24 (e.g., sensors and/oractuators, and, optionally, one or more energy harvesting transducercomponents). In some examples, the conventional single or multiple cellbattery may be a watch style disk or button cell battery that isassociated electrical connection apparatus (e.g., a metal clip) thatelectrically connects the electrodes of the battery to contact pads onthe wireless transducing circuit 10.

Examples of sensing transducers 24 include a capacitive sensor, analtimeter, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, a strainsensor, a pressure sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, a weight sensor, anoptical or light sensor (e.g., a photodiode or a camera), an acoustic orsound sensor (e.g., a microphone), a smoke detector, a radioactivitysensor, a chemical sensor (e.g., an explosives detector), a biosensor(e.g., a blood glucose biosensor, odor detectors, antibody basedpathogen, food, and water contaminant and toxin detectors, DNAdetectors, microbial detectors, pregnancy detectors, and ozonedetectors), a magnetic sensor, an electromagnetic field sensor, and ahumidity sensor. Examples of actuating (e.g., energy emitting)transducers 24 include light emitting components (e.g., light emittingdiodes and displays), electro-acoustic transducers (e.g., audiospeakers), electric motors, and thermal radiators (e.g., an electricalresistor or a thermoelectric cooler). In some embodiments, thetransducers may include energy harvesting transducer components.

In some examples, the wireless transducing circuit 10 includes a memory26 for storing data, including, e.g., profile data, state data, eventdata, sensor data, localization data, security data, and one or moreunique identifiers (IDs) 28 associated with the wireless transducingcircuit 10, such as a product ID, a type ID, and a media access control(MAC) ID, and control code 30 that includes instructions executable bythe processor 20 to perform one or more autonomous agent tasks. In someexamples, the memory 26 may be incorporated into one or more of theprocessor 20 or transducers 24, or may be a separate component that isintegrated in the wireless transducing circuit 10 as shown in FIG. 1.The control code 30 typically is implemented as programmatic functionsor program modules that control the operation of the wirelesstransducing circuit 10, including a node communication manager thatmanages the manner and timing of tape node communications, a node powermanager that manages power consumption, and a node connection managerthat controls whether connections with other nodes are secureconnections (e.g., connections secured by public key cryptography) orunsecure connections, and a node storage manager that securely managesthe local data storage on the wireless transducing circuit 10. In someexamples, a node connection manager (not shown) ensures the level ofsecurity required by the end application and supports various encryptionmechanisms. In some examples, a node power manager and communicationmanager (not shown) work together to optimize the battery consumptionfor data communication. In some examples, execution of the control codeby the different types of nodes described herein may result in theperformance of similar or different functions.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a generic platform 32 for the wirelesstransducing circuit 10, according to some embodiments. The platform(also referred to as a “tape node,” herein) includes a respective set ofthe components of the wireless transducing circuit 10. In someembodiments, multiple platforms contain respective sets of componentsthat are identical and configured in the same way. In some otherembodiments, however, multiple platforms contain respective sets ofcomponents that are different and/or configured in different ways. Forexample, different ones of the platforms 32 have different sets orconfigurations of tracking and/or transducing components that aredesigned and/or optimized for different applications. Alternatively,different sets of segments of the platform 32 may have differentornamentations (e.g., markings on the exterior surface of the platform)and/or different dimensions.

An example method of fabricating the adhesive tape platform 32 (see FIG.2) according to a roll-to-roll fabrication process is described inconnection with FIGS. 6, 7A, and 7B of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/842,861, filed Dec. 14, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

The instant specification describes an example system of tape agentplatforms (also referred to herein as “tape agents” or “tape nodes”)that can be used to implement a low-cost wireless network infrastructurefor performing monitoring, tracking, and other logistic functionsrelating to, for example, parcels, persons, tools, equipment and otherphysical assets and objects. The example system includes a set of threedifferent types of tape nodes that have different respectivefunctionalities and different respective cover markings that visuallydistinguish the different tape agent types from one another. Othersystems may include fewer than three or more than three different typesof tape nodes. In one non-limiting example, the covers of the differenttape agent types are marked with different colors (e.g., white, green,and black). In the illustrated examples, the different tape agent typesalso are distinguishable from one another by their respective wirelesscommunications capabilities and their respective sensing capabilities.

FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an examplesegment 40 of a flexible adhesive tape platform that includes arespective set of the components of the wireless transducing circuit 10corresponding to the first tape node type (i.e., white), according tosome embodiments. A segment of the flexible adhesive tape platform mayalso be referred to herein as a “tape node.” The flexible adhesive tapeplatform segment 40 includes an adhesive layer 42, an optional flexiblesubstrate 44, and an optional adhesive layer 46 on the bottom surface ofthe flexible substrate 44. If the bottom adhesive layer 46 is present, arelease liner (not shown) may be (removably) adhered to the bottomsurface of the adhesive layer 46. In some examples, the adhesive layer46 includes an adhesive (e.g., an acrylic foam adhesive) that has a highbond strength that is sufficient to prevent removal of the adhesivesegment 40 from a surface on which the adhesive layer 46 is adheredwithout destroying the physical or mechanical integrity of the adhesivesegment 40 and/or one or more of its constituent components. In someexamples, the optional flexible substrate 44 is implemented as aprefabricated adhesive tape that includes the adhesive layers 42, 46 andthe optional release liner. In other examples, the adhesive layers 42,46 are applied to the top and bottom surfaces of the flexible substrate44 during the fabrication of the adhesive tape platform. The adhesivelayer 42 bonds the flexible substrate 44 to a bottom surface of aflexible circuit 48, that includes one or more wiring layers (not shown)that connect the processor 50, a low power wireless communicationinterface 52 (e.g., a Zigbee, Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) interface, orother low power communication interface), a clock and/or a timer circuit54, transducing and/or energy harvesting component(s) 56 (if present),the memory 58, and other components in a device layer 60 to each otherand to the energy storage component 62 and, thereby, enable thetransducing, tracking and other functionalities of the flexible adhesivetape platform segment 40. The low power wireless communication interface52 typically includes an antenna and a wireless circuit.

FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an examplesegment 70 of the flexible adhesive tape platform that includes arespective set of the components of the wireless transducing circuit 10corresponding to the second tape node type (i.e., green), according tosome embodiments. In this example, the flexible adhesive tape platformsegment 70 differs from the segment 40 shown in FIG. 3A by the inclusionof a medium power communication interface 72′ (e.g., a LoRa interface)in addition to the low power communications interface that is present inthe first tape node type (i.e., white). The medium power communicationinterface has longer communication range than the low powercommunication interface. In some examples, one or more other componentsof the flexible adhesive tape platform segment 70 differ, for example,in functionality or capacity (e.g., larger power source).

FIG. 3C shows a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an examplesegment 80 of the flexible adhesive tape platform that includes arespective set of the components of the wireless transducing circuit 10corresponding to the third tape node type (i.e., black), according tosome embodiments. In this example, the flexible adhesive tape platformsegment 80 includes a high power communications interface 82″ (e.g., acellular interface; e.g., GSM/GPRS), a medium power communicationsinterface 72, and a low power communications interface 52″. The highpower communication range provides global coverage to availableinfrastructure (e.g. the cellular network). In some examples, one ormore other components of the flexible adhesive tape platform segment 80differ, for example, in functionality or capacity (e.g., larger energysource).

FIGS. 3A-3C show examples in which the cover layer 90, 90′, 90″ of theflexible adhesive tape platform includes one or more interfacial regions92, 92′, 92″ positioned over one or more of the transducers 56, 56′,56″. In examples, one or more of the interfacial regions 92, 92′, 92″have features, properties, compositions, dimensions, and/orcharacteristics that are designed to improve the operating performanceof the platform for specific applications. In some examples, theflexible adhesive tape platform includes multiple interfacial regions92, 92′, 92″ over respective transducers 56, 56′, 56″, which may be thesame or different depending on the target applications. Exampleinterfacial regions include an opening, an optically transparent window,and/or a membrane located in the interfacial regions 92, 92′, 92″ of thecover 90, 90′, 90″ that is positioned over the one or more transducersand/or energy harvesting components 56. Additional details regarding thestructure and operation of example interfacial regions 92, 92′, 92″ aredescribed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/680,716, filedJun. 5, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/670,712,filed May 11, 2018.

In some examples, a flexible polymer layer 94, 94′, 94″ encapsulates thedevice layer 60 and thereby reduces the risk of damage that may resultfrom the intrusion of contaminants and/or liquids (e.g., water) into thedevice layer 60, 60′, 60″. The flexible polymer layer 94, 94′, 94″ alsoplanarizes the device layer 60. This facilitates optional stacking ofadditional layers on the device layer 60, 60′, 60″ and also distributesforces generated in, on, or across the adhesive tape platform segments40, 70, 80 so as to reduce potentially damaging asymmetric stresses thatmight be caused by the application of bending, torqueing, pressing, orother forces that may be applied to the flexible adhesive tape platformsegments 40, 70, 80 during use. In the illustrated example, a flexiblecover 90, 90′, 90″ is bonded to the planarizing polymer 94, 94′, 94″ byan adhesive layer (not shown).

The flexible cover 90, 90′, 90″ and the flexible substrate 110 may havethe same or different compositions depending on the intendedapplication. In some examples, one or both of the flexible cover 90,90′, 90″ and the flexible substrate 44, 44′, 44″ include flexible filmlayers and/or paper substrates, where the film layers may havereflective surfaces or reflective surface coatings. Example compositionsfor the flexible film layers include polymer films, such as polyester,polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and other plastics. Theoptional adhesive layer on the bottom surface of the flexible cover 90,90′, 90″ and the adhesive layers 42, 42′, 42″, 46, 46′, 46″ on the topand bottom surfaces of the flexible substrate 44, 44′, 44″ typicallyinclude a pressure-sensitive adhesive (e.g., a silicon-based adhesive).In some examples, the adhesive layers are applied to the flexible cover90 and the flexible substrate 44, 44′, 44″ during manufacture of theadhesive tape platform (e.g., during a roll-to-roll or sheet-to-sheetfabrication process). In other examples, the flexible cover 90, 90′, 90″may be implemented by a prefabricated single-sided pressure-sensitiveadhesive tape and the flexible substrate 44 may be implemented by aprefabricated double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape; both kindsof tape may be readily incorporated into a roll-to-roll orsheet-to-sheet fabrication process. In some examples, the flexiblepolymer layer 44, 44′, 44″ is composed of a flexible epoxy (e.g.,silicone).

In some examples, the energy storage device 62, 62′, 62″ is a flexiblebattery that includes a printed electrochemical cell, which includes aplanar arrangement of an anode and a cathode and battery contact pads.In some examples, the flexible battery may include lithium-ion cells ornickel-cadmium electro-chemical cells. The flexible battery typically isformed by a process that includes printing or laminating theelectro-chemical cells on a flexible substrate (e.g., a polymer filmlayer). In some examples, other components may be integrated on the samesubstrate as the flexible battery. For example, the low power wirelesscommunication interface 52, 52′, 52″ and/or the processor(s) 50, 50′,50″ may be integrated on the flexible battery substrate. In someexamples, one or more of such components also (e.g., the flexibleantennas and the flexible interconnect circuits) may be printed on theflexible battery substrate.

In some examples, the flexible circuit 48, 48′, 48″ is formed on aflexible substrate by printing, etching, or laminating circuit patternson the flexible substrate. In some examples, the flexible circuit 48,48′, 48″ is implemented by one or more of a single-sided flex circuit, adouble access or back bared flex circuit, a sculpted flex circuit, adouble-sided flex circuit, a multi-layer flex circuit, a rigid flexcircuit, and a polymer thick film flex circuit. A single-sided flexiblecircuit has a single conductor layer made of, for example, a metal orconductive (e.g., metal filled) polymer on a flexible dielectric film. Adouble access or back bared flexible circuit has a single conductorlayer but is processed so as to allow access to selected features of theconductor pattern from both sides. A sculpted flex circuit is formedusing a multi-step etching process that produces a flex circuit that hasfinished copper conductors that vary in thickness along their respectivelengths. A multilayer flex circuit has three of more layers ofconductors, where the layers typically are interconnected using platedthrough holes. Rigid flex circuits are a hybrid construction of flexcircuit consisting of rigid and flexible substrates that are laminatedtogether into a single structure, where the layers typically areelectrically interconnected via plated through holes. In polymer thickfilm (PTF) flex circuits, the circuit conductors are printed onto apolymer base film, where there may be a single conductor layer ormultiple conductor layers that are insulated from one another byrespective printed insulating layers.

In the example flexible adhesive tape platform segments 40, 70, 80 shownin FIGS. 3A-3C, the flexible circuit 48, 48′, 48″ is a single accessflex circuit that interconnects the components of the adhesive tapeplatform on a single side of the flexible circuit 48, 48′, 48″. In otherexamples, the flexible circuit 48, 48′, 48″ is a double access flexcircuit that includes a front-side conductive pattern that interconnectsthe low power communications interface 52, 52′, 52″, the timer circuit54, 54′, 54″, the processor 50, 50′, 50″, the one or more transducers56, 56′, 56″ (if present), and the memory 58, 58′, 58″, and allowsthrough-hole access (not shown) to a back-side conductive pattern thatis connected to the flexible battery (not shown). In these examples, thefront-side conductive pattern of the flexible circuit 48, 48′, 48″connects the communications circuits 52, 52′, 52″, 72, 72′, 72″, 82″(e.g., receivers, transmitters, and transceivers) to their respectiveantennas and to the processor 50, 50′, 50″ and also connects theprocessor 50, 50′, 50″ to the one or more sensors and the memory 58. Thebackside conductive pattern connects the active electronics (e.g., theprocessor 50, 50′, 50″, the communications circuits 52, 52′, 52″, 72′,72″, 82″ and the transducers) on the front-side of the flexible circuit48, 48′, 48″ to the electrodes of the flexible battery 62, 62′, 62″ viaone or more through holes in the substrate of the flexible circuit 48,48′, 48″.

FIG. 4A shows an example asset 110 (a package, in this example) that issealed for shipment using an example adhesive tape platform 112 thatincludes embedded components of a wireless transducing circuit 114(collectively referred to herein as a “tape node”), according to someembodiments. In this example, a segment 113 of the adhesive tapeplatform 112 is dispensed from a roll 16 and affixed to the asset 110.The adhesive tape platform 112 includes an adhesive side 118 and anon-adhesive side 120. The adhesive tape platform 112 can be dispensedfrom the roll 116 in the same way as any conventional packing tape,shipping tape, or duct tape. For example, the adhesive tape platform 112may be dispensed from the roll 116 by hand, laid across the seam wherethe two top flaps of the asset 110 meet, and cut to a suitable lengtheither by hand or using a cutting instrument (e.g., scissors or anautomated or manual tape dispenser). Examples of such tapes includetapes having non-adhesive sides 120 that carry one or more coatings orlayers (e.g., colored, light reflective, light absorbing, and/or lightemitting coatings or layers).

FIG. 4B is a diagrammatic top view of a portion of the segment of theexample tracking adhesive product shown in FIG. 4A, according to someembodiments. Referring to FIG. 4B, in some examples, the non-adhesiveside 120 of the segment 113 of the adhesive tape platform 112 includeswriting or other markings that convey instructions, warnings, or otherinformation to a person or machine (e.g., a bar code reader), or maysimply be decorative and/or entertaining. For example, different typesof adhesive tape platforms may be marked with distinctive colorations todistinguish one type of adhesive tape platform from another. In theillustrated example, the segment 113 of the adhesive tape platform 112includes a two-dimensional bar code (e.g., a QR Code) 122, writteninstructions 124 (i.e., “Cut Here”), and an associated cut line 126 thatindicates where the user should cut the adhesive tape platform 112. Thewritten instructions 124 and the cut line 126 typically are printed orotherwise marked on the top non-adhesive surface 120 of the adhesivetape platform 12 during manufacture. The two-dimensional bar code 122,on the other hand, may be marked on the non-adhesive surface 120 of theadhesive tape platform 112 during the manufacture of the adhesiveproduct 112 or, alternatively, may be marked on the non-adhesive surface120 of the adhesive tape platform 112 as needed using, for example, aprinter or other marking device. In some embodiments, the non-adhesiveside 120 of the segment 113 may include additional markings (not shown).For example, the non-adhesive side 120 of the segment 113 may includemarkings that indicate a relative position of a sensor or othercomponent of the wireless transducing circuit 114.

In order to avoid damaging the functionality of the segments of theadhesive tape platform 112, the cut lines 126 typically demarcate theboundaries between adjacent segments at locations that are free of anyactive components of the wireless transducing circuit 114. The spacingbetween the wireless transducing circuit components 114 and the cutlines 126 may vary depending on the intended communication, transducingand/or adhesive taping application. In the example illustrated in FIG.4A, the length of the adhesive tape platform 112 that is dispensed toseal the asset 110 corresponds to a single segment of the adhesive tapeplatform 112. In other examples, the length of the adhesive tapeplatform 112 needed to seal a package or otherwise serve the adhesivefunction for which the adhesive tape platform 112 is being applied mayinclude multiple segments 113 of the adhesive tape platform 112, one ormore of which segments 113 may be activated upon cutting the length ofthe adhesive tape platform 112 from the roll 16 and/or applying thelength of the adhesive tape platform to the asset 110.

In some examples, the transducing components 114 that are embedded inone or more segments 113 of the adhesive tape platform 112 are activatedwhen the adhesive tape platform 112 is cut along the cut line 126. Inthese examples, the adhesive tape platform 112 includes one or moreembedded energy sources (e.g., thin film batteries, which may beprinted, or conventional cell batteries, such as conventional watchstyle batteries, rechargeable batteries, or other energy storage device,such as a super capacitor or charge pump) that supply power to thetransducing components 114 in one or more segments of the adhesive tapeplatform 112 in response to being separated from the adhesive tapeplatform 112 (e.g., along the cut line 126).

In some examples, each segment 113 of the adhesive tape platform 112includes its own respective energy source. In some embodiments, theenergy source is a battery of a type described above, an energyharvesting component or system that can harvest energy from theenvironment, or both. In some of these examples, each energy source isconfigured to only supply power to the components in its respectiveadhesive tape platform segment regardless of the number of contiguoussegments 32 that are in a given length of the adhesive tape platform112. In other examples, when a given length of the adhesive tapeplatform 112 includes multiple segments 113, the energy sources in therespective segments 113 are configured to supply power to thetransducing components 114 in all of the segments 13 in the given lengthof the adhesive tape platform 112. In some of these examples, the energysources are connected in parallel and concurrently activated to powerthe transducing components 114 in all of the segments 113 at the sametime. In other examples, the energy sources are connected in paralleland alternately activated to power the transducing components 114 inrespective ones of the adhesive tape platform segments 113 at differenttime periods, which may or may not overlap.

This specification describes an example system of wirelesscommunications devices that can be used to implement an ultra low-costwireless network infrastructure for performing monitoring, tracking, andother logistic functions relating to, for example, parcels, persons,tools, equipment and other physical assets and objects. In one example,the system includes a set of three different types of wirelesstransducing circuits 10 embedded in a flexible adhesive tape form factorthat have different respective functionalities and optionally differentrespective cover markings that visually distinguish the differentwireless communications device types from one another. In onenon-limiting example, the covers of the different wirelesscommunications interface types are marked with different colors (e.g.,white, green, and black). In the illustrated examples, the differentwireless communications interface types are distinguishable from oneanother by their respective wireless communications capabilities andtheir respective sensing capabilities. In other examples, the wirelesstransducing circuits 10 may be incorporated into different form factors,such as a set of devices that are pluggable into an alternating current(AC) electrical power outlet or a direct current (DC) electrical poweroutlet.

Agent Hierarchy

In the present disclosure, two hierarchies are discussed which include aparent-child hierarchy and a hierarchy of roles (including the masteragent, secondary agent, and tertiary agent roles). In some embodiments,the parent-child hierarchy refers to the communication distances thatare associated with the configuration of a tape node's wirelesscommunication interface. For example, child nodes may include shorterrange wireless communication interfaces (e.g., Bluetoothcommunications), while parent nodes may include both a wirelesscommunication interface for communicating with their associated childnodes and longer range wireless communication interfaces that have thecapability of communicating at distances greater than those of the childnode.

The hierarchy of roles determines which wireless agents controlscommunications between agents, according to some embodiments. Forexample, a wireless agent with a master agent role controls thecommunication (including protocols, scheduling, and timing ofcommunications) between itself and any associated secondary and tertiarywireless agents. In the present disclosure, the child nodes of theparent-child hierarchy are assigned the master agent role, and the childnodes control communications between itself and its associated parentnodes (which have secondary or tertiary agent roles). This contrastswith conventional systems which assign the parent nodes of theparent-child hierarchy the master agent role.

The parent nodes (which have the secondary and tertiary agent roles) arehigher power nodes that may include longer range wireless communicationinterfaces than those of the child nodes (which have the master agentrole) that are lower power nodes, according to some embodiments. In someembodiments, the higher power parent nodes include a higher number ofwireless communication interface types (for different wirelesscommunication protocols and distances). According to embodiments, thehigher power parent nodes may include additional functionality that thelower power child nodes do not possess, such as the capability tocollect sensor data using sensors associated with the higher powerparent node. The higher power parent nodes may have a higher demand ontheir resources (e.g. higher power consumption) due to the longer rangewireless communications and additional functionality than the lowerpower child nodes. Using the methods and system of the presentdisclosure, the power consumption of the wireless agents may beoptimized and result in longer battery life for wireless agents.Additionally, the necessary network bandwidth for communications betweenthe wireless agents may also be optimized due to reduced networkcongestion in comparison to conventional methods and systems.

FIG. 5 is a table 129 of an example set of wireless tape agents andtheir respective attributes, according to some embodiments. The leftcolumn of the wireless agent attributes table 129 lists the attributesof the master agent. Among the attributes of the master agent are: amaster agent role; a child node placement in physical premises (aperipheral or leaf node placement); and a low power wirelesscommunications interface (e.g., a Bluetooth LE communications interfaceor a Zigbee communications interfaces). The master agent role attributeenables the master agent to exercise unilateral control over othernon-master types of agents, such as the secondary agent and the tertiaryagent. The child node attribute configuration corresponds to aperipheral end node or leaf node that interacts in a particularenvironment (e.g., physical premises, such as a building, warehouse,loading dock, etc.). The child node placement may correspond to themaster agent being placed in physical proximity to an asset beingtracked with the master agent, according to some embodiments. In theillustrated embodiment, the child node has a low power communicationsinterface (e.g., Bluetooth LE) for communicating with other nodes overshort distance wireless communications links.

The center column of the wireless agent attributes table 129 lists theattributes of the secondary agent. Among the attributes of the secondaryagent are: a secondary agent role; a node placement in physical premiseswithin communication range of one or more child nodes and optionallywithin communication range of one or more of the tertiary agent parentnodes (i.e. an intermediate parent node placement); and low andintermediate power wireless communications interfaces (e.g., BluetoothLE and LoRa communications interfaces). The secondary agent role enablesthe master agent to exercise unilateral control over the secondaryagent. The intermediate parent node attribute configuration correspondsto an intermediate node that communicates with the child nodes in thephysical premises and communicates with the tertiary agent. In theillustrated embodiment, the secondary agent has a low powercommunications interface (e.g., Bluetooth LE communications interface)for communicating with the child nodes and an intermediate powercommunications interface (e.g., LoRa communications interface) forcommunicating with a parent node or server node over longer distancewireless communication links. In some embodiments, the intermediatepower communications interface consumes more power than the low powercommunication interface. In the illustrated embodiment, thecommunications interfaces of the secondary tape agent are backwardcompatible with the child nodes.

The right column of the wireless agent attributes table 129 lists theattributes of the tertiary agent. Among the attributes of the tertiarytape agent are: a tertiary agent role; a placement in relation to thephysical premises that is within range of the of the secondary agent andoptionally within communication range of one or more of the masteragent; and low, intermediate, and high power communications interfaces(e.g., Bluetooth LE, LoRa, Cellular, NFC, and RFID communicationsinterfaces) for communicating with the child nodes, the secondaryagents, gateways, and servers. The high power communication interfacesmay consume more power than the intermediate communication interfaces,according to some embodiments. The high power communication interfacesmay have a higher distance or range of wireless communication than theintermediate communication interfaces, according to some embodiments.The tertiary agent role enables the master agent to exercise unilateralcontrol over the tertiary agent. In the illustrated embodiment, thecommunications interfaces of the tertiary tape agent are backwardcompatible with the child nodes and secondary nodes. In otherembodiments, the tertiary tape agent is only configured to communicatewith the secondary tape agent, and the tertiary agent's communicationswith the master tape agent are relayed via the secondary agent.

FIG. 6 shows three assets, each of which is associated with a respectivewireless agent (also referred to herein as a “tape agent” or “wirelesstape agent”) 132, 136, 140, according to some embodiments. Inparticular, a first asset 130 is associated with a master tape agent 132that corresponds to the child node, which has a low power communicationsinterface (e.g., Bluetooth LE) and is optionally marked with a whitecolorant. A second asset 134 is associated with the secondary tape agent136 that corresponds to the intermediate parent node, which has a lowpower communications interface (e.g., Bluetooth LE) and a medium powercommunications interface (e.g., LoRa) and is optionally marked with agreen colorant. A third asset 138 is associated with the tertiary tapeagent 140 that corresponds to a high power parent node that has threelow power communications interfaces (e.g., Bluetooth LE, NFC, and RFID),a medium power communications interface (e.g., LoRa), and a high powercommunications interface (e.g., cellular), and is optionally marked witha black colorant. The communications interfaces of the secondary tapeagent 136 and the tertiary tape agent 140 are backward compatible withthe communications interface (e.g., Bluetooth LE) of the master tapeagent 132.

In addition to packaging applications, the master, secondary, andtertiary tape agents may be deployed on or within physical premises,such as buildings, warehouses, and other infrastructure. For example, insome embodiments, the secondary and tertiary tape agents may be deployedon physical premises infrastructure (e.g., walls, doors, and conveyorsystems), vehicles (e.g., fork lifts, trucks, and carts), and objects(e.g., boxes, packages, documents, coffee mugs).

The above-described approach provides substantial benefits in terms ofreduced cost and higher performance of the wireless tape agents.

In a conventional approach, nodes are arranged hierarchically withhigher power parent nodes designated as master nodes that are located athigher levels in the node hierarchy and have unilateral control over thelow power child nodes, which are located at the bottom level of thechild-parent hierarchy. In this approach, the master nodes areconfigured to periodically scan for transmissions from the child nodes.As a result, the conventional approach places a high demand on theresources (e.g., higher power consumption) of the master nodes. Thisdemand is particularly high when there are numerous child nodes, whichtends to rapidly decrease the battery levels of the master nodes andincrease network congestion between the high power master nodes and thenumerous child nodes.

In contrast, in accordance with the present disclosure, the low powerchild node is the master agent 132, which has unilateral control overthe parent nodes (e.g., the secondary agent 136 and the tertiary agent140). As a result, many of the tasks previously performed by thesecondary and tertiary tape agents now are unnecessary. Since thesecondary and tertiary tape agents no longer perform those tasks, thesecondary and tertiary agents may have less demand on their resources,compared to the conventional approach described above. For example, inthis configuration, there is no need for the higher-power parent nodesto scan for transmissions from the child nodes; instead, the masteragent 132 (child node) drives the communications flow (advertisements)from the master agent 132 to the secondary agents and the tertiaryagents 136, 140. In this process, the master agent 132 transmits servicerequests to the secondary agent 136 or the tertiary agent 140, or both.In this way, there is no need for the secondary agent 136 and thetertiary agent 140 to initiate a scan for packet transmissions from thechild nodes, since the secondary agent 136 and the tertiary agent 140only needs to respond to the transmitted service requests, in someembodiments. In addition, the child nodes operate autonomously, andthereby substantially avoid network congestion by sending requests forservice to the secondary and tertiary agents 136, 140 only when needed.

In some network environments, one or more of the master agent 132, thesecondary agent 136, and the tertiary agent 140 are provided withdescriptions of the resources that are available from the nodes on thenetwork. Examples of such resources are sensors, such as a temperaturesensor, a moisture sensor, and an acceleration sensor; communicationinterfaces, such as Bluetooth communications interfaces, LoRacommunications interfaces, and cellular communications interfaces; powersources, such as mains power and battery power; and memory resources. Inan example, when the master agent (child node) detects that it hasinsufficient resources to complete a task, the master agent (child node)can inquire whether the insufficiency can be remedied by sharing one ormore resources that are available from one or more agents on thenetwork. In this process, the master agent (child node) broadcasts tothe other nodes in the environment a request for the type of resourcerequired and a deadline for completing the task. If one or more of theother agents in the environment can satisfy the request, one or more ofthe other agents send reply messages to the master agent (child node).The master agent (child node) selects one of the other agents to providethe resource based on one or more criteria (e.g., the first agent toreply to the request). In some embodiments, the master agent (childnode) receives a confirmation message from the selected other agent thatthe requested task either was completed or was not completed. Dependingon the type of task to be performed by the selected agent, the masteragent (child node) may or may not receive a data payload in theconfirmation message. The data payload may include data relevant to thetask, such as sensor data for a task requiring a resource that is asensor.

In some embodiments, the criteria for selecting one of the other agentsto provide the resource includes a battery level of the agent. Forexample, if multiple agents can satisfy the request, the master agentmay select the agent that has the highest battery level. In someembodiments, the criteria may include the physical location of theagent. In some embodiments, the criteria may include the hierarchicalrole (parent, child, master, secondary, tertiary) of the agent. In someembodiments, the criteria may include resources other than the requestedresource available to the agent. In other embodiments, other criteriamay be used to select the agent for performing the task. The criteriamay include some combination of the criteria described above, accordingto some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the resource is a sensor. In some embodiments, theresource may be a wireless communication interface of a particular type(e.g., a longer range wireless communication interface type). In otherembodiments, the resource may include data that is not stored on themaster agent requesting the resource. Other types of resources may berequested for performing a task, according to some embodiments. Theresources may include some combination of the resource types describedabove, according to some embodiments.

The resource sharing process described in the preceding paragraphs alsocan be used by the secondary and tertiary agents. For example, thesecondary agents and the tertiary agents may each request resources inthe same way that the master agent does, as described above.

FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of a resource sharing process among wirelessnetwork nodes, according to some embodiments. A wireless tape agent(e.g., a wireless master tape agent) broadcasts to one or more otheragents a request for a resource of a particular type that is required tocomplete a task to be performed by the wireless tape agent (FIG. 7,block 150). The wireless tape agent receives a reply from at least oneof the one or more other agents that can provide the requested resource(FIG. 7, block 152). The wireless tape agent selects one of the at leastone other agent that can provide the requested resource to perform thetask using the resource (FIG. 7, block 154). The wireless tape agentreceives an optional confirmation from the selected other agent (FIG. 7,block 156). The confirmation may include an indication that the task wascompleted or was not completed. In some embodiments, the wireless tapeagent may perform additional and/or alternative steps and processes tothe ones shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example embodiment of a wirelessnode 160 that includes a memory 162 storing control code for performingvarious tasks, according to some embodiments. The tasks corresponding tothe control code may include detecting logistic violations, trackinglocation of assets, tracking condition of assets, monitoringenvironmental stimuli (i.e., sensor data) relevant to an asset,detecting events, uploading sensor data to an edge system for generatingdata (e.g., statistics, analytics, etc.) for machine learning, andcontrolling node resources (e.g., a master agent (child node)unilaterally controlling a cellular communications interface of atertiary agent to make a phone call). In some embodiments, the controlcode may correspond to other tasks.

In some embodiments, the autonomous wireless communications agents areconfigured with asset instructions stored in their respective memorydevices to perform tasks (e.g., asset tracking and preventativelogistics). In some examples, the asset instructions are determined bymapping out a description of a supply chain including assets (e.g.,boxes, pallets, and containers) and inputting the description into anasset processing system. The asset processing system compiles the supplychain data to generate respective computer-readable asset instructionsfor each of the wireless communication devices in the overall system(e.g., wireless tape agents and line-powered wireless communicationsdevices, collectively referred to herein as “wireless communicationsagents”). In some examples, the wireless communications agents act astraffic agents that detect rule violations by performing localizedcontext-sensitive checks between periods in which the wirelesscommunications agents are in sleep mode. The rules and rule violationsmay be customized to the context of the application that the wirelessagents are used for. The rules may include rules for logistics, expectedsensor measurements, asset management, asset racking, communicationbetween the tape nodes, other types of rules, or some combinationthereof. In some examples, the wireless communications agents downloadchecks and rule violations that trigger alarms. For example, the rulesmay include supply chain rules relevant to an asset, such as thoseregarding whether an asset was dropped or mishandled, temperatureviolations, and incorrect parcel splits and consolidations. The wirelesscommunications agents log all events (e.g., parcel splits andconsolidations).

In some examples, a set of assets and a set of wireless tape agents usedto track the set of assets are defined as a group using an encodingsystem that instructs the wireless communications agents which agentidentifiers are members of the group. In some embodiments, the tapeagents in the group are programmed to wake up at scheduled times toensure that the current grouping of agents is still consistent with theasset instructions. For example, at each scheduled wakeup time, thewireless communications agents determine if there are any group membersthat have improperly split off from the designated group and if thereare any additional members that improperly joined the designated groupwithout receiving instructions from the asset processing system thatchange the membership in the defined group. In some examples, if thereis an unaccounted change in the membership of the defined group, adesignated one of the agents will trigger an alarm. For example, as avehicle is being loaded with a group of parcels, one or more of thewireless communications agents are configured to detect when a parcel inthe group has not been loaded on the vehicle and detect when an assetthat is not part of the group has been loaded on the vehicle.

In another example, the asset processing system encodes instructions fordetecting and responding to potential damage that occurs to an asset.For example, if an agent detects acceleration of the asset above athreshold acceleration level, the agent will signal the asset processingsystem to abort a process corresponding to the asset (e.g., shipment ortransport of the asset).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example system environment for a wirelesstape agent system, according to some embodiments. FIG. 9 shows anexample environment 400 that includes a network 402 that supportscommunications between one or more servers 404 executing one or moreapplications of a network service 408, mobile gateways 410, 412, astationary gateway 414, and various types of tape nodes that areassociated with various assets (e.g., parcels, equipment, tools,persons, and other things). In some examples, the network 402 includesone or more network communication systems and technologies, includingany one or more of wide area networks, local area networks, publicnetworks (e.g., the internet), private networks (e.g., intranets andextranets), wired networks, and wireless networks. For example, thenetwork 402 includes communications infrastructure equipment, such as ageolocation satellite system 470 (e.g., GPS, GLONASS, and NAVSTAR),cellular communication systems (e.g., GSM/GPRS), Wi-Fi communicationsystems, RF communication systems (e.g., LoRa), Bluetooth communicationsystems (e.g., a Bluetooth Low Energy system), Z-wave communicationsystems, and ZigBee communication systems.

In some examples, the wireless network of tape nodes described aboveimproves asset management operations by reducing costs and improvingefficiency in a wide range of processes, from asset packaging, assettransporting, asset tracking, asset condition monitoring, assetinventorying, and asset security verification. Communication across thenetwork is secured by a variety of different security mechanisms. In thecase of existing infrastructure, a communication link uses theinfrastructure security mechanisms. In the case of communications amongtapes nodes, the communication is secured through a custom securitymechanism. In certain cases, tape nodes can also be configured tosupport block chain to protect the transmitted and stored data.

A set of tape nodes can be configured autonomously in terms of one ormore factors, including functionality (e.g., wireless transmission rangeor power), role (e.g., master tape node vs. peripheral tape node), orcost (e.g., a tape node equipped with a cellular transceiver vs. aperipheral tape node equipped with a Bluetooth LE transceiver). In someembodiments, tape nodes can be assigned to different levels of ahierarchical network according to one or more of the above-mentionedfactors. For example, the hierarchy can be defined in terms ofcommunication range or power (e.g., the child-parent node hierarchy),where tape nodes with higher power or longer communication rangetransceivers are arranged at a higher level of the hierarchy than tapenodes with lower power or lower range transceivers. The problem offinding an optimal hierarchical structure can be formulated as anoptimization problem with battery capacity of nodes, power consumptionin various modes of operation, desired latency, external environment,etc. and can be solved using modern optimization methods e.g. neuralnetworks, artificial intelligence, and other machine learning computingsystems that take expected and historical data to create an optimalsolution and can create algorithms for modifying the system's behavioradaptively in the field.

The tape nodes may be deployed by automated equipment or manually. Inthis process, a tape node typically is separated from a roll or sheetand adhered to an asset or other stationary or mobile object (e.g., astructural element of a warehouse or other building, or a vehicle, suchas a delivery truck). This process activates the tape node, according tosome embodiments. In some embodiments, the tape manufacturer mayprogrammatically configure tape nodes that are deployed in theenvironment 400. In further embodiments, a user and/or administrator ofthe wireless tape agent system may further configure or customize tapenodes that are deployed in the environment 400. In other embodiments,the tape nodes may be programmatically configured by a user and/oradministrator of the wireless tape agent system. In some examples, thereare multiple classes or types of tape nodes, where each tape node classhas a different respective set of functionalities and/or capacities. Forexample, the tape node classes may include the embodiments of the tapenodes and wireless tape agents shown in FIGS. 3A-3C and 6.

In some examples, the one or more network service servers 404communicate over the network 402 with one or more gateways that areconfigured to send, transmit, forward, or relay messages to the network402 in response to transmissions from the master agent child nodes thatare associated with respective assets and within communication range.Example gateways include mobile gateways 410, 412 and a stationarygateway 414. The gateways may include other gateways (not shown) thatthe mobile gateways 410, 412, and the stationary gateway 414. In someexamples, the mobile gateways 410, 412, and the stationary gateway 414are able to communicate with the network 402 and with designated sets orgroups of tape nodes.

In some examples, the mobile gateway 412 is a vehicle (e.g., a deliverytruck or other mobile hub) that includes a wireless communications unit416 that is configured to communicate with a designated set of tapenodes, including a master agent child tape node 418 that also functionsas a label that is adhered to a parcel 421 (e.g., an envelope) thatcontains an asset 420. In some examples, the master agent child tapenode 418 includes a lower power wireless communications interface of thetype used in, e.g., tape node 40 (shown in FIG. 3A), and the wirelesscommunications unit 416 is implemented by a secondary or tertiary tapenode (e.g., one of tape node 70 or tape node 80, respectively shown inFIGS. 3B and 3C) that include higher power communications interfaces forcommunicating with tape nodes within range of the mobile gateway 412 andthe network 402. In this way, the tape nodes 418 and 416 create awireless network of nodes for transmitting, forwarding, bridging,relaying, or otherwise communicating wireless messages and data to,between, or on behalf of the master tape child node 418 in apower-efficient and cost-effective way.

In some examples, a mobile gateway 410 is a mobile phone that isoperated by a human operator and executes a client application 422 thatis configured by a network service to communicate with a designated setof tape nodes, including a master tape child node 424 that is adhered toa parcel 426 (e.g., a box), and is further configured to communicatewith a network server 404 over the network 402. In the illustratedexample, the parcel 426 contains a first parcel labeled or sealed by amaster agent tape node 428 and containing a first asset 430, and asecond parcel labeled or sealed by a master agent tape node 432 andcontaining a second asset 434. The first asset 430, the master agenttape node 428, the second asset 432, and the master agent tape node 432are members of an asset group. The secondary or tertiary tape node 424communicates with each of the master agent child nodes 428, 432 and alsocommunicates with the mobile gateway 410. In some examples, each of themaster agent child nodes 428, 432 includes a lower power wirelesscommunications interface of the type used in, e.g., tape node 40 (shownin FIG. 3A), and the secondary/tertiary agent 424 is implemented by atape node (e.g., tape node 70 or tape node 80, shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C)that includes a low power communications interface for communicatingwith the master agent child nodes 428, 432 contained within the parcel426, and a higher power communications interface for communicating withthe mobile gateway 410. The secondary or tertiary agent 424 is operableto relay wireless communications between the master agent child nodes428, 432 contained within the parcel 426 and the mobile gateway 410, andthe mobile gateway 410 is operable to relay wireless communicationsbetween the secondary or tertiary agent 424 and the server 404 over thewireless network 402. In this way, the master agent child nodes 428 and432 and the secondary or tertiary agent 424 create a wireless network ofnodes for transmitting, forwarding, relaying, or otherwise communicatingwireless messages to, between, or on behalf of the master agent childnodes 428, 432, the secondary or tertiary agent 424, and the networkservice (not shown) in a power-efficient and cost-effective way.

In some examples, the stationary gateway 414 is implemented by a serverexecuting a server application that is configured by the network service408 to communicate with a designated set 440 of master agent child nodes442, 444, 446, 448 that are adhered to respective parcels containingrespective assets 450, 452, 454, 456 on a pallet 458. In other examples,the stationary gateway 414 is implemented by a tape node (e.g., one oftape node 70 or tape node 80, respectively shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C)that is adhered to, for example, a wall, column or other infrastructurecomponent of the physical premises environment 400, and includes a lowpower communications interface for communicating with tape nodes withinrange of the stationary gateway 414 and a higher power communicationsinterface for communicating with the network 402. In one embodiment,each of the tape nodes 442, 444, 446, 448 is a master agent child nodeand is configured by the network service 408 to communicate individuallywith the stationary gateway 414, which relays communications from themaster agent child tape nodes 442, 444, 446, 448 to the network service408 through the stationary gateway 414 and over the communicationsnetwork 402. In another embodiment, one of the master agent child nodes442, 444, 446, 448 at a time is configured to be a master tape nodewhich transmits, forwards, relays, or otherwise communicates wirelessmessages and data to, between, or on behalf of the other master agentchild tape nodes on the pallet 458. In this embodiment, the master tapenode may be determined by the master agent child nodes 442, 444, 446,448 or designated by the network service 408. In some examples, themaster agent child node 442, 444, 446, 448 with the highest remainingpower level is determined to be the master tape node. In some examples,when the power level of the current master agent child tape node dropsbelow a certain level (e.g., a power threshold level or a thresholdlevel relative to the power levels of one or more of the other masteragent child tape nodes), another one of the master agent child tapenodes assumes the role of the master tape node. In some examples, amaster agent child tape node 459 is adhered to the pallet 458 and isconfigured to perform the role of a master node for the other masteragent child tape nodes 442, 444, 446, 448. In these ways, the masteragent child tape nodes 442, 444, 446, 448, 458 are configurable tocreate different wireless networks of nodes for transmitting,forwarding, relaying, bridging, or otherwise communicating wirelessmessages with the network service 408 through the stationary gateway 414and over the network 402 in a power-efficient and cost-effective way.

In the illustrated example, the stationary gateway 414 also isconfigured by the network service 408 to communicate with a designatedset of tape nodes, including a secondary or tertiary tape node 460 thatis adhered to the inside of a door 462 of a shipping container 464 andis further configured to communicate with the network service 408 overthe network 402. In the illustrated example, the shipping container 464contains a number of parcels labeled or sealed by respective masteragent child tape nodes 466, each parcel containing respective assets.The secondary or tertiary tape node 460 communicates with each of themaster child tape nodes 466 within the container 464 and communicateswith the stationary gateway 414. In some examples, each of the masteragent child tape nodes 466 includes a low power wireless communicationsinterface (shown in FIG. 3A), and the secondary or tertiary tape agent460 includes a low power communications interface for communicating withthe master agent child nodes 466 contained within the shipping container464 and a higher power communications interface for communicating withthe stationary gateway 414.

In some examples, when the doors of the shipping container 464 areclosed, the secondary or tertiary agent 460 is operable to communicatewirelessly with the master agent child tape nodes 466 contained withinthe shipping container 464. In an example, the secondary or tertiaryagent 460 is configured to collect sensor data from master agent childnodes 466 and, in some embodiments, process the collected data togenerate, for example, statistics from the collected data. Thestatistics may include, for example, a frequency spectrum of sensordata, a frequency spectrum of sensor data calculated by performing afast Fourier transform (FFT) on the sensor data, a root-mean square(RMS) value, an average value, a median value, a peak value, a minimumvalue, other statistical values, or some combination thereof. When thedoors of the shipping container 464 are open, the secondary or tertiaryagent 460 is programmed to detect the door opening (e.g., using aphotodetector or an accelerometer component of the master agent childnode 460) and, in addition to reporting the door opening event to thenetwork service 408, the secondary or tertiary agent 460 is furtherprogrammed to transmit the collected data and/or the processed data inone or more wireless messages to the stationary gateway 414. Thestationary gateway 414, in turn, is operable to transmit the wirelessmessages received from the secondary or tertiary agent 460 to thenetwork service 408 over the wireless network 402. Alternatively, insome examples, the stationary gateway 414 also is operable to performoperations on the data received from the secondary or tertiary agent 460with the same type of data produced by the secondary or tertiary agent459 based on sensor data collected from the tape nodes 442, 444, 446,448. In this way, the secondary or tertiary agent 460 and the masteragent child node 466 create a wireless network of nodes fortransmitting, forwarding, relaying, or otherwise communicating wirelessmessages to, between, or on behalf of the master agent child node 466,the secondary or tertiary agents, and the network service 408 in apower-efficient and cost-effective way. In some embodiments thestationary gateway 414, the mobile gateways 410, 412

In an example of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, there are three typesof tape nodes that have backwards compatibility in relation to theirability to communicate with each other: a short range master agent childnode 40, a medium range secondary tape agent 70, and a long rangetertiary tape agent 80, as respectively shown in FIGS. 3A-3C. Theshort-range master agent child nodes 70 typically are adhered directlyto assets or parcels containing assets. In the illustrated example, themaster agent child nodes 418, 428, 432, 442, 444, 446, 448, 466 areshort-range tape nodes. The short-range tape nodes typically communicatewith a low power wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth LE,Zigbee, or Z-wave). The medium range tape agents 70 typically areadhered to objects (e.g., a box 426 and a shipping container 460) thatare associated with multiple parcels that are separated from the mediumrange tape nodes by a barrier or a large distance. In the illustratedexample, the secondary tape agents 424 and 460 are medium range tapenodes. The medium range tape nodes typically communicate with low andmedium power wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, LoRa orWi-Fi). The long-range tape agents 80 typically are adhered to mobile orstationary infrastructure of the wireless communication environment 400.In the illustrated example, the mobile gateway tape node 412 and thestationary gateway tape node 414 are implemented by long-range tapeagents 80. The long-range tape agents 80 typically communicate withother nodes using a high power wireless communication protocol (e.g., acellular data communication protocol). In some examples, the mobilegateway tape node 416 is adhered to a mobile vehicle 412 (e.g., atruck). In these examples, the mobile gateway 416 may be moved todifferent locations in the environment 400 to assist in connecting othertape agent to the mobile gateway 416. In some examples, the stationarygateway tape node 414 may be attached to a stationary structure (e.g., awall) in the environment 400 with a known geographic location (e.g., GPScoordinates). In these examples, other tape nodes in the environment candetermine their geographic location by querying the gateway tape node414.

In some examples, in order to conserve power, the tape nodes typicallycommunicate according to a schedule promulgated by the network service408. The schedule usually dictates all aspects of the communication,including the times when particular tape nodes should communicate, themode of communication, and the contents of the communication. In oneexample, the server (not shown) transmits programmatic Global SchedulingDescription Language (GSDL) code to the master tape node and each of thelower-level tape nodes in the designated set. In this example, executionof the GSDL code causes each of the tape nodes in the designated set toconnect to the master tape node at a different respective time that isspecified in the GSDL code, and to communicate a respective set of oneor more data packets of one or more specified types of information overthe respective connection. In some examples, the master tape node simplyforwards the data packets to the server network node 404, eitherdirectly or indirectly through a gateway tape node (e.g., the long rangetape node 416 adhered to the mobile vehicle 412 or the long range tapenode 414 adhered to an infrastructure component of the environment 400).In other examples, the master tape node processes the informationcontained in the received data packets and transmits the processedinformation to the server 404.

FIG. 10 shows an example embodiment of computer apparatus 320 that,either alone or in combination with one or more other computingapparatus, is operable to implement one or more of the computer systemsdescribed in this specification. The one or more computer systems mayinclude the mobile gateway 410, an aspect of the mobile gateway 412, theone or more servers 404, the stationary gateway 414, other computersystems in the environment 400 not shown in FIG. 9, or some combinationthereof.

The computer apparatus 320 includes a processing unit 322, a systemmemory 324, and a system bus 326 that couples the processing unit 322 tothe various components of the computer apparatus 320. The processingunit 322 may include one or more data processors, each of which may bein the form of any one of various commercially available computerprocessors. The system memory 324 includes one or more computer-readablemedia that typically are associated with a software applicationaddressing space that defines the addresses that are available tosoftware applications. The system memory 324 may include a read onlymemory (ROM) that stores a basic input/output system (BIOS) thatcontains start-up routines for the computer apparatus 320, and a randomaccess memory (RAM). The system bus 326 may be a memory bus, aperipheral bus or a local bus, and may be compatible with any of avariety of bus protocols, including PCI, VESA, Microchannel, ISA, andEISA. The computer apparatus 320 also includes a persistent storagememory 328 (e.g., a hard drive, a floppy drive, a CD ROM drive, magnetictape drives, flash memory devices, and digital video disks) that isconnected to the system bus 326 and contains one or morecomputer-readable media disks that provide non-volatile or persistentstorage for data, data structures and computer-executable instructions.

A user may interact (e.g., input commands or data) with the computerapparatus 320 using one or more input devices 330 (e.g. one or morekeyboards, computer mice, microphones, cameras, joysticks, physicalmotion sensors, and touch pads). Information may be presented through agraphical user interface (GUI) that is presented to the user on adisplay monitor 332, which is controlled by a display controller 334.The computer apparatus 320 also may include other input/output hardware(e.g., peripheral output devices, such as speakers and a printer). Thecomputer apparatus 320 connects to other network nodes through a networkadapter 336 (also referred to as a “network interface card” or NIC).

A number of program modules may be stored in the system memory 324,including application programming interfaces 338 (APIs), an operatingsystem (OS) 340 (e.g., the Windows® operating system available fromMicrosoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. U.S.A.), software applications341 including one or more software applications programming the computerapparatus 320 to perform one or more of the steps, tasks, operations, orprocesses of the locationing and/or tracking systems described herein,drivers 342 (e.g., a GUI driver), network transport protocols 344, anddata 346 (e.g., input data, output data, program data, a registry, andconfiguration settings).

Examples of the subject matter described herein, including the disclosedsystems, methods, processes, functional operations, and logic flows, canbe implemented in data processing apparatus (e.g., computer hardware anddigital electronic circuitry) operable to perform functions by operatingon input and generating output. Examples of the subject matter describedherein also can be tangibly embodied in software or firmware, as one ormore sets of computer instructions encoded on one or more tangiblenon-transitory carrier media (e.g., a machine readable storage device,substrate, or sequential access memory device) for execution by dataprocessing apparatus.

The details of specific implementations described herein may be specificto particular embodiments and should not be construed as limitations onthe scope of any of the claims. For example, features that are describedin connection with separate embodiments may also be incorporated into asingle embodiment, and features that are described in connection with asingle embodiment may also be implemented in multiple separateembodiments. In addition, the disclosure of steps, tasks, operations, orprocesses being performed in a particular order does not necessarilyrequire that those steps, tasks, operations, or processes be performedin the particular order; instead, in some cases, one or more of thedisclosed steps, tasks, operations, and processes may be performed in adifferent order or in accordance with a multi-tasking schedule or inparallel.

Other embodiments are within the scope of the claims.

Additional Configuration Information

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the disclosure have beenpresented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed.Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedisclosure.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments of thedisclosure in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations ofoperations on information. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are commonly used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively toothers skilled in the art. These operations, while describedfunctionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to beimplemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits,microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient attimes, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, withoutloss of generality. The described operations and their associatedmodules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or anycombinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments of the disclosure may also relate to an apparatus forperforming the operations herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, and/or it may comprise ageneral-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfiguredby a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer programmay be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storagemedium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus.Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification mayinclude a single processor or may be architectures employing multipleprocessor designs for increased computing capability.

Embodiments of the disclosure may also relate to a product that isproduced by a computing process described herein. Such a product maycomprise information resulting from a computing process, where theinformation is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readablestorage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer programproduct or other data combination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.It is therefore intended that the scope of the disclosure be limited notby this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of thedisclosure, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plurality of tape agents, comprising: anautonomous master wireless tape agent comprising a first wirelesscommunications interface type operative to communicate over a wirelesscommunications link with an associated secondary wireless agent, theautonomous master wireless tape agent corresponding to a child node in awireless agent hierarchy; and the secondary wireless agent comprising asecond wireless communications interface type that has a longer wirelesscommunications range than a wireless communications range of the firstwireless communications interface type, the secondary wireless agentcorresponding to a parent node in the wireless agent hierarchy, whereinthe master wireless tape agent governs the wireless communications linkand traffic between the master wireless tape agent and the secondarywireless agent, the master wireless tape agent is operative to schedulea designated time slot for each secondary wireless agent transmission,and the secondary wireless agent is operative to synchronize itstransmit and receive timing with that of the master wireless tape agentand respond to requests received from the master wireless tape agent. 2.The plurality of tape agents of claim 1, further comprising a tertiarywireless agent comprising: the first wireless communications interfacetype; the second wireless communications interface type; and a thirdwireless communications interface type that has a longer wirelesscommunications range than the second wireless communications interfacetype, the tertiary wireless agent corresponding to another parent nodein the wireless agent hierarchy, wherein the tertiary wireless agent isassociated with the master wireless tape agent and the secondarywireless agent.
 3. The plurality of tape agents of claim 2, wherein themaster wireless tape agent has unilateral control over the secondarywireless agent and the tertiary wireless agent.
 4. The plurality of tapeagents of claim 2, wherein a wireless communications interface of eachof the secondary wireless agent and the tertiary wireless agent isbackwards compatible with the first wireless communications interfacetype of the master wireless tape agent.
 5. The plurality of tape agentsof claim 1, wherein the autonomous master wireless tape agent isassociated with an asset.
 6. The plurality of tape agents of claim 5,wherein the autonomous master wireless tape agent comprises an adhesivetape form factor, is adhered to the asset, and is configured to monitorat least one of a location of the asset, one or more environmentalstimuli relevant to the asset, and a condition of the asset.
 7. Theplurality of tape agents of claim 5, wherein the master wireless tapeagent comprises one or more sensors that are operative to generate oneor more respective data sets by sensing one or more environmentalstimuli relevant to the asset.
 8. The plurality of tape agents of claim7, wherein the master wireless tape agent is operative to transmit theone or more data sets to the associated secondary wireless agent tocompute one or more statistics from the one or more data sets.
 9. Theplurality of tape agents of claim 8, wherein the associated secondarywireless agent is operative to derive one or more analytics based on thecomputed statistics in accordance with one or more machine learningalgorithms for anomaly detection or condition monitoring.
 10. Theplurality of tape agents of claim 9, wherein the master wireless tapeagent is operative to retrieve the one or more analytics from the one ormore associated secondary wireless agents.
 11. The plurality of tapeagents of claim 1, wherein the master wireless tape agent is operativeto: transmit to one or more other agents a request for a resource of aparticular type required to complete a task; receive a reply messagefrom at least one of the one or more other agents that can provide therequested resource; select one of the at least one other agents toperform the task using the resource; and receive a confirmation from theselected other agent indicating that the task has been completed. 12.The plurality of tape agents of claim 11, wherein each of the one ormore other agents is operative to begin a transmission in a time slotreserved for itself by the master wireless tape agent.
 13. The pluralityof tape agents of claim 1, wherein the master wireless tape agent isoperative to establish a wireless communications link with the secondarywireless agent and, in response to the establishment of the wirelesscommunications link, the secondary agent is operative to expose one ormore services that are available from the secondary wireless agent. 14.The plurality of tape agents of claim 1, wherein the secondary wirelessagent is operative to begin a transmission in a time slot immediatelyfollowing a time slot in which the secondary wireless agent wasaddressed by the master wireless tape agent.
 15. The plurality of tapeagents of claim 1, wherein the associated secondary wireless agent is awireless tape agent affixed to infrastructure of physical premises. 16.The plurality of tape agents of claim 1, wherein the associatedsecondary wireless agent is electrically pluggable into a socket of anelectric power supply.
 17. The plurality of tape agents of claim 1,wherein the autonomous master wireless tape agent further comprises: aprocessor; a memory; and a power source, and the associated secondarywireless agent further comprises: a processor; a memory; and a powersource.
 18. A method comprising: assigning a master agent role to achild wireless tape agent, the child wireless tape agent comprising afirst wireless communications interface type; and assigning a secondaryagent role associated with the master agent role to a first parentwireless tape agent, the first parent wireless tape agent comprising thefirst wireless communication interface type and a second wirelesscommunications interface type that has a longer wireless communicationsrange than the first wireless communications interface type, wherein thechild wireless tape agent having the master agent role governs thewireless communications link and traffic between itself and the firstparent wireless tape agent having the associated secondary agent role,the child wireless tape agent having the master agent role is operativeto schedule a designated time slot for each transmission from the firstparent wireless tape agent having the associated secondary agent rolewith the child wireless tape agent, and the first parent wireless tapeagent having the associated secondary agent role is operative tosynchronize its transmit and receive timing with that of the childwireless tape agent having the associated master agent role and respondto requests received from the child wireless tape agent having theassociated master agent role.
 19. A system comprising: one or moremaster wireless tape agents, each of the one or more master wirelesstape agents comprising a first wireless communications interface typeoperative to communicate over a wireless communications link; one ormore secondary wireless tape agents, each of the one or more secondarywireless tape agents associated with at least one of the one or moremaster wireless tape agents and comprising: the first wirelesscommunications interface type, and a second wireless communicationsinterface type that has a longer wireless communications range than thefirst wireless communications interface type; one or more tertiarywireless tape agents, each of the one or more tertiary wireless tapeagents associated with at least one of the one or more master wirelesstape agents and comprising: the first wireless communications interfacetype, the second wireless communications interface type, and a thirdwireless communications interface type that has a longer wirelesscommunications range than the second wireless communications interfacetype, wherein each of the one or more master wireless tape agentsgoverns the wireless communications link and traffic between itself andassociated secondary wireless tape agents of the one or more secondarywireless tape agents, each of the one or more master wireless tape agentis operative to schedule a designated time slot for transmissions fromthe associated secondary wireless tape agents, each of the one or moresecondary wireless tape agents is operative to synchronize its transmitand receive timing with that of the master wireless tape agent andrespond to requests received from the master wireless tape agent, andeach of the one or more master wireless tape agents has unilateralcontrol over the associated secondary wireless agents and associatedtertiary wireless agents of the one or more tertiary wireless agents.20. The system of claim 19, further comprising an asset managementsystem, wherein at least one of the one or more tertiary wireless tapeagents is configured to communicate with the asset management systemusing the third wireless communication interface type.
 21. The system ofclaim 19, wherein at least one master wireless tape agent of the one ormore master wireless tape agents comprises a flexible adhesive tapeplatform that is adhered to an asset and the at least one masterwireless tape agent is configured to monitor at least one of a locationof the asset, a condition of the asset, and one or more environmentalstimuli relevant to the asset.
 22. The system of claim 19, whereinmembers of an agent group comprise at least one of the one or moremaster wireless tape agents, the one or more secondary wireless tapeagents, and the one or more tertiary wireless tape agents, and at leastone of the one or more master wireless tape agents, the one or moresecondary wireless tape agents, and an asset management system areprogrammed to wake up at scheduled times to ensure that the members ofthe agent group are correct according to predefined asset instructions.